Homecoming
by Kaden-san
Summary: Slightly AU & OC. Carter escapes Lori and finds her way home. All she wants to do is go back to the family that she had and be able to get back to the life that she had created.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: General disclaimers of I don't own anything to do with Finding Carter and all that jazz...blah...blah.  
**

**This plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it and it's just my mind trying to normalize the show and bring some realness to the dramatics the show provides.**

* * *

_"Mom?"_

_ "Carter?"_

_ "I'm…can you come pick me up?"_

* * *

Carter scuffed her shoe on the loose gravel of the non-descript diner's parking and kept looking around with a wary eye. After a year spent being held hostage by Lori and always being on the move, she had cultivated a habit of keeping a constant eye on her surroundings. She wouldn't put it past Lori to show up out of the blue and try and take her away again. The sound of approaching sirens drew Carter out of her dark thoughts and she looked up with a hopeful grin as she saw a long line of law enforcement cars heading towards her. The second police car in the procession skidded to a stop two feet from Carter and Elizabeth leaped out of the car.

"Carter!"

Carter couldn't say anything because of the lump in throat but she did hug Elizabeth back when her birth mother hurried to embrace her. Carter's hands tightened into fists as her grip tightened on the back of Elizabeth's police jacket. Elizabeth held Carter to her even tighter if possible and tears ran down Carter's face behind her closed eyes. All other sounds, smells and sights faded into the background as mother and daughter had a long overdue heartfelt reunion.

"Um Detective Wilson? We need to run some tests real quick. Can I borrow your daughter for a moment?"

A new voice broke through the relieved haze in Carter's mind and she opened her eyes to see a young brown haired, brown-eyed woman standing next to them with a medical bag in hand. Even though she knew it was irrational and that this EMT wasn't Lori, the initial physical resemblance caused Carter to panic. When Elizabeth nodded and loosened her embrace on Carter, Carter held tighter.

"Carter what is it? Everything will be okay, I promise."

"Please don't go anywhere. Don't leave me alone."

Elizabeth's hands slid down from Carter's shoulders to her hands and she grasped Carter's right hand. She smiled warmly at Carter and led the way over to the back of the ambulance. Carter looked around the back of the ambulance before she sat on the edge of the back of the ambulance's floor and kept a tight hold of Elizabeth's hand. The young EMT kept her movements slow and steady underneath the watchful gaze of both Carter and Elizabeth. After the tests were done and the EMT cleared Carter to go home, Elizabeth hustled Carter into the backseat of the squad car the older woman arrived in. Despite the overwhelming need to have Elizabeth sit in the back with her, Carter put on a brave face and reminded herself that Lori couldn't try anything at the moment and Elizabeth was sitting right in front of her in the passenger seat.

"Let's go home Carter."

* * *

The familiar sight of the white, two-story house that had served as her home before the last year filled Carter with familiarity and warmth. The police car came to a stop just in front of her house and Elizabeth looked behind her seat to smile at Carter before getting out of the car. She opened the door for Carter and wrapped an arm around Carter's shoulders as mother and daughter walked up to their home. Carter slipped her hand into Elizabeth's and held onto Elizabeth's wrist with her other hand. Before Elizabeth could even open the door, it opened and Grant pulled her into a hug.

"Hey Elephant."

"Hey Armadillo."

Carter hugged Grant with her right arm but still kept a tight hold of Elizabeth's hand with her left hand. Grant let go after a moment and Carter looked up into the sorrowful blue eyes of her twin. Taylor sobbed and threw her arms around Carter in an emotional hug complete with blubbering and tears. Carter's eyes teared up as well and she hugged Taylor with one arm as well. The smell of book and ink along with a strong pair of arms wrapping around both girls let Carter know that her father, David, had embraced them as well.

"Welcome back Carter."

David's comment patched up some of the cracks on Carter's heart and his gruff, emotional tone made her smile. The family moved further into the house and Elizabeth shut the front door of the house. Carter sat down on the couch with Elizabeth on one side and Grant on the other. David leaned against the doorframe and Taylor sat on the arm of the couch next to Elizabeth. Silence hung over the room and Carter looked about to see if she could spot any changes in the room.

"No, there aren't any changes in the house Carter. No one really had the energy or desire to redecorate with you…not being here."

"So does that mean that we can start some of the remodeling tasks like painting the rooms a different color now that I'm home again?"

With the constant familiar comfort of being back in her home with her birth family around her Carter's confidence and sass began to return and she grinned at Elizabeth. Elizabeth rolled her eyes but patted Carter's knee and nodded. The doorbell rang and David excused himself to go answer it. The sound of a brief argument came back to the living room and a moment later a disgruntled David walked back in with his agent, Toby, following. Toby clapped his hands and made a gleeful noise at the sight of Carter.

"And the prodigal daughter returns yet again. Such a plot twist and Hallmark family moment."

"What are you doing here?"

Despite the shocked looks she was getting from her family at her cold tone Carter stood up and glared at Toby. A handful of hazy memories came back when she was on the lam with Lori and drugged up on pharmaceuticals. Toby took a step back at Carter's aggression and raised his hands in a placating gesture. He looked at Carter and then to David, almost like he was asking him to intervene. David stepped in between Carter and Toby and his expression willed Carter to explain. Carter spared a quick glance at her father but her gaze returned to an impressive glare when she turned her attentions back onto her father's agent.

"You make me sick and uncomfortable. I am asking you to leave."

"Carter I have no idea-"

"Toby why don't you just go for now? We'll talk later."

David stepped over to Toby and escorted him out of the room with a hand on the other man's elbow. There was the brief sound of Tony arguing but that ended a moment later when the sound of the front door opening and closing came back to the living room. David returned and looked at Carter. Carter had remained standing and at her father's look she began to pace. Unconsciously she grabbed her right forearm, just underneath the crease of her elbow and rubbed a certain spot.

"Carter what happened with Toby? Did he do something to you?"

David's gentle tone broke through Carter's dark reminiscing and she stopped pacing to look up at him. She shook her head, muttered under her breath and resumed pacing again. Elizabeth reached out and grasped Carter's hand which was still rubbing over the inside crease of her elbow. This brought Carter's attention to her actions and she immediately stopped rubbing her other arm and didn't meet Elizabeth's inquisitive gaze.

"He just…Toby isn't who…can I see my room?"

The maelstrom of emotions in Carter's body wanted to come out but every time she tried to bring them to words her tongue refused to work. She knew she needed to tell her family what had happened to her over the past year and she would but right now her emotions were overwhelming her. If Carter's sudden reluctance to talk created any awkwardness none of her family members showed it and Elizabeth smiled as she stood up.

"Of course. Come on."

"I'll get started on dinner. Chicken fingers and potato fries sound good Carter?"

Carter took Elizabeth's hand when her mother walked over to her and Carter smiled at Taylor. She nodded and Taylor left for the kitchen with a parting smile. Elizabeth tugged on Carter's hand and she led Carter up the stairs. Carter smiled at the pictures that still hung on the wall and she trailed her fingertips on each one as she passed them on her way up the stairs. Elizabeth opened Carter's bedroom door and stood in the doorway with Carter as Carter took it all in. Nothing had been moved and everything still sat right where Carter had left it.

"I'll let you reorient yourself and get familiar with all your things okay?"

Carter looked at Elizabeth and nodded. Elizabeth took a step back and squeezed Carter's hand one final time before letting go. She motioned down the stairs and smiled again.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me okay? I won't be far, I promise."

"Okay."

Elizabeth left and Carter's attention returned to her bedroom. She closed the door most of the way but left it open a crack and she walked across her room to make sure her window was locked shut. She closed the curtains and turned around with a happy little sigh. She turned on her music system and wiped her blackboard wall behind her bed clean. She needed to create new memories now and let out some of her troubled past year.

* * *

Elizabeth Wilson, hard working detective and now happy mother walked into her kitchen and fished the carton of ice cream out of the refrigerator. Taylor looked at her from cutting up potatoes and raised an eyebrow. Elizabeth grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

"I know it's bad form to have dessert before dinner but having a glass of wine before dinner would be even worse."

Taylor rolled her eyes and focused back on creating dinner. David looked up from setting the table and grinned at the sight of Elizabeth eating ice cream. He walked over to her and kissed her cheek.

"I see Carter finally let you go and out of her sight. She settling in okay upstairs?"

"Hey now, if one of my beautiful daughters wants the physical comfort of their mother I for one certainly won't deny them that. And yes, she is settling in okay."

David chuckled and took a few glasses down from the cupboard. He hesitated for a moment and Elizabeth knew her husband was thinking how to phrase his thoughts.

"You don't think Lori did anything to physically harm Carter do you?"

Elizabeth plopped her spoon down in the ice cream carton and sighed. The steady cadence of Taylor cutting up the potatoes faltered and stopped as she looked up at Elizabeth as well. Elizabeth's grip tightened on the ice cream carton until the cardboard caved in.

"Lori has many faults and is absolutely insane but no, I don't think she would physically abuse Carter. Mental and emotional abuse however…."

Elizabeth let her last comment hang in the air unfinished and it was with careful motions that Elizabeth put her ice cream back in the freezer. The light pattering of footsteps and Grant's voice broke the sudden tension in the kitchen and with a significant look from Elizabeth the kitchen atmosphere returned to normal.

"…we have our normal Skype call but nothing has happened yet."

"Seriously Armadillo, I've been gone a year and you still haven't had the guts to ask her out yet?"

Elizabeth smiled at the sight of Carter holding Grant in a headlock and ruffling his hair in some good-natured teasing. Elizabeth didn't know who Carter and Grant were talking about but it might warrant some motherly snooping if her son had some fluttering's in his love life. Carter walked away from Grant who was scowling at her and fixing his hair but Carter ignored him in favor of snagging a potato fry from the tray that Taylor had put on the island a moment earlier.

"Oh hot hot hot!"

Carter danced about fanning her mouth as the hot potato burned her mouth and everyone laughed. Carter swallowed gingerly and scowled at her family. Elizabeth smiled and led Carter to the kitchen table with an arm around her waist. She nudged her daughter into the middle of the curved booth seat and Carter pulled Taylor down to sit on her other side. The action surprised Taylor but Carter smiled and turned her attention onto the food out on the table.

"This looks awesome. Thanks Taylor."

"It really was nothing….but thank you."

Small chatter broke out amongst the family as the food was dished out and Elizabeth noticed how much food Carter put on her plate. Her brow furrowed and she made a mental note to have Carter get a physical by their family doctor as soon as possible. David kicked her foot under the table and when Elizabeth looked up her husband shook his head. Elizabeth sighed but nodded and focused back in on the conversation.

* * *

Later that night Carter tossed and turned in her bed as her sub-consciousness and dreams twisted together to create a fearsome nightmare. The sheets stuck to her and they were twisted into interesting shapes. The nightmare began to overtake Carter and small whimpers escaped her tightly closed lips. Her eyes moved rapidly underneath her eyelids and soon those whimpers turned into fearful spoken word.

"Carter? Wake up Carter it's just a nightmare."

Taylor stood next to her sister's bed, having heard Carter's nightmare from her room next door and came over to see what she could do. Despite the fact that something needed to be done, Carter was thrashing about in the throes of her nightmare and Taylor didn't know what to do. Taylor ran from Carter's room and almost ran into her parents who came to investigate the distressed sounds coming from Carter's room. Grant poked his head out of his room and Elizabeth motioned for him to go back inside of his room. Taylor stepped back as Elizabeth hurried past her and into Carter's room.

"Carter? Wake up sweetie, it's just a dream. Come on Carter, wake up."

Taylor walked back into Carter's room, behind her father and saw her mother leaning over Carter's bed and shaking Carter's shoulder. As if she had been electrocuted, Carter eyes shot open, wide and filled with fearful adrenaline. Her brown eyes were unfocused and Taylor sucked in a lungful of air when Carter's gaze left hers. Carter struck out at Elizabeth, simultaneously getting away from Elizabeth's hand and kicking her birth mother away with a kick to the stomach.

"Ooof!"

The scene unfolded too quickly for Taylor to react but David caught a disoriented Elizabeth and all attention returned to Carter. The troubled young woman sat curled up back against her headboard with her knees covering her front and one tearful eye peeking out from behind her legs. The anger that Taylor felt towards Carter lashing out against their mother dissipated and her heart went out to her sister. Their mother recovered and sat down on the edge of Carter's bed. Carter flinched and shrank down even more.

"It's okay Carter. I'm fine. Will you come here?"

Elizabeth didn't do soft and gentle very often and most of the time when she did it failed. This time however it appeared to work as Carter fell into Elizabeth's embrace and shook with silent sobs. David ushered Taylor through the joint bathroom and back into her room.

"Let's not overwhelm them right now okay? Try and get back to sleep."

As Taylor crawled back into her bed and pulled the covers over her, she wondered just what happened to Carter over the past year.

* * *

Twenty minutes had passed since Elizabeth had let go of Carter and left her room but Carter hadn't fallen back asleep. She didn't dare to close her eyes for the fear of her nightmares tormenting her again. Instead, she sat down at her desk and picked up a drab green fishing box. She opened it and smiled at the assortment of craft and jewelry materials and other odds and ends knick-knacks crammed into every nook and cranny of the box. With deliberate care, Carter pulled out a vast assortment of half-finished jewelry pieces and then opened the fishing box up all the way.

_'Elizabeth'_

_ 'Taylor'_

_ 'Grant' _

_ 'David'_

Four pieces of jewelry had tags wrapped around them with the names of her family on them and they were all in various degrees of completion. Carter picked up the one with Elizabeth's name on it and focused her complete attention on the simple, mundane tasks of braiding another section of the band of the bracelet. Lori had taught her how to make jewelry over the past year, as a way for Carter to keep busy and Carter took a liking to it enough that she could often sell her pieces for a nice price. In truth however, Carter now used it as a coping mechanism and since she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep tonight then she might as well be productive.

* * *

The next morning Carter felt like a zombie as she stumbled down the stairs in time to catch breakfast before school started. The dark circles underneath her eyes belied the small smile she had on her face and she waved hello to her family as she entered the kitchen. When no one said anything besides a smattering of good morning's and weird looks, Carter stopped getting her coffee ready.

"What?"

"Carter you don't look to good. What are you doing up this early? You could have had a lie in…"

Carter scrunched her nose and looked at Elizabeth who had moved to stand next to her from the other side of the island. Elizabeth steadied the coffee pot that was shaking in Carter's hand and Carter looked down at her sneakers.

"I just want to rip the band aid off. I want to get everyone staring at me and asking millions of questions all out of the way."

"Which you can do and I admire your courage for wanting to do it that way. However, why don't we ease into your second reunion and get the authorities on your side?"

Elizabeth poured Carter's cup of coffee, straight black, and handed it to Carter. Carter sighed and leaned back against the counter. Taylor set a piece of buttered toast on a napkin down next to Carter, squeezed her hand and left with Grant for school. David left with a hug and a kiss for both mother and daughter and soon only Elizabeth and Carter stood in the kitchen.

"I really don't want to have to suffer through an interrogation."

"That's fine but would you be willing to answer a couple perfunctory, basic questions down at the station?"

"Yeah…okay."

Carter drank her coffee in three large gulps, fished out a piece of gum from her school bag and looked up at Elizabeth expectantly while chewing the gum. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag from the island. Mother and daughter walked out to Elizabeth's car and for the first few minutes of the drive down to the station the car was silent except for the radio.

"So….anything new happen while I was gone?"

"Besides the drama and fallout you mean?"

Elizabeth snorted after asking her question and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she thought. As she did, Carter allowed herself to think about what her sudden disappearance did to everyone in her life but before she could delve too far into those thoughts Elizabeth raised a finger in an 'aha!' moment.

"That hole in the wall restaurant place you liked so much closed down and a McDonald's took its place."

"Aw man! Really? That's gross! Now where am I going to eat?"

During her first initial year Carter had scoured the city and the outskirts for dive locations with good food and excellent customer service. She had found such a place and had been a frequent customer up until her second kidnapping.

"Well Taylor was teaching you how to cook before…well, not too long ago. You could always pick that back up."

There was an awkward pause as Elizabeth stumbled on her word choice and Carter knew that her mother didn't want to mention the words 'kidnapping', 'departure' or 'leaving'.

"Yeah well maybe I can actually whip up something other than tuna fish and grilled cheese if Taylor still wants to teach me how to cook."

"That would be good. We're here."

Elizabeth parked the car and Carter followed her mother into the police station. Carter noticed how at ease her mother was in the precinct and she smiled as she liked seeing Elizabeth relaxed. Some of the other cops came over to greet them and make some small talk but the man Carter remembered to be the captain of the police force walked over. His expression was rather grim and he looked like he swallowed a lemon.

"Detective Wilson, that pain in my ass FBI agent is sitting in my office and wants to talk to you and your daughter. He has some questions and-"

"Captain, the FBI isn't trying to take over the case to catch Lori are they?"

The captain gave a short nod and Carter felt rooted to the spot. She heard her mother arguing with the captain but memories of her year with Lori flashed through her mind like a jumbled kaleidoscope. A tug on her hand made Carter look up into her mother's eyes and the multitude of images stopped just like that.

"Carter are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"All right. You just wait here a moment and I'll figure out what this FBI guy wants and then I'll come get you okay?"

Carter nodded and tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear. She watched as Elizabeth walked away to the captain's office and very quickly the conversation between Elizabeth and the FBI turned heated. True to her word, a few moments later Elizabeth stormed back out and although she looked pissed, she stopped in front of Carter and sighed heavily.

"Special Agent Ames wants to ask you a few questions about Lori and try and get an idea of what Lori wants and where she is. However, he has asked to have this conversation be private and I'm not allowed in the room while he's asking you some questions."

"What? Why? I need you in there!"

The emotions welled up inside of Carter and she began to freak out. Elizabeth stopped the meltdown before it could happen by taking a firm but gentle hold of Carter's shoulders and simply looking back into Carter's eyes. It was almost like Elizabeth was trying to will some of her confidence and bravado into Carter and after several long moments Carter calmed down.

"There we go. You're strong Carter and just remember that you talk with what you're comfortable with. This man isn't interrogating you and you didn't do anything wrong. I'll be right here in the bullpen and nothing bad will happen. I promise."

"Okay."

* * *

**A/N 2: Yeah there are a couple trigger warnings in this story but nothing too graphic. Go ahead and drop a review or PM me for any questions, comments and/or concerns.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I received a lot more attention for this story then I thought I would. As far as the original outline goes, I wrote up all the images in the story that I thought about so for me this story is now complete. Thoughts?**

* * *

Elizabeth stepped aside and Carter walked into the captain's office where the FBI agent sat. He looked up from his notes and grinned at Carter. He stood up and offered his hand to Carter. Carter shook it but then went back to having her arms crossed underneath her chest.

"Hello Carter. My name is Special Agent Ames and I'm from the FBI. I'm here to ask you a few questions and capture Lori Stevens."

"Yeah I thought the police force here was doing that. What's got the FBI all hot and bothered?"

Agent Ames paused for a moment at Carter's tone and raised his eyebrows. He opened the manila folder on the table and spread out several photos. He motioned for Carter to take a look and she noticed that all the photos were of Lori in varying degrees.

"You're other mother has many faces and has quite the history. She didn't allude to any of her past jobs or things like that during the thirteen years she raised you?"

"She's not my mother and no she didn't. She was a stereotypical woman who claimed to love the child she raised for a little while. You still haven't answered my question by the way either."

"The case is ongoing and I'm not at liberty to speak about the particulars of it."

"Even though I'm one of the main people involved in the case and unless you catch Lori, the only person who can tell you about her over the past year?"

Agent Ames paused again and cleared his throat. He touched up a few of the photos on the desk and looked at Carter. Carter remained silent and her posture radiated cool defiance.

"So you're saying that you would willfully hold back information that can lead to the capture of Lori Stevens?"

"No, I am not saying that."

Agent Ames stood up and turned off a recorder he had on the desk. He put the photos back in the folder and glanced out the office window where Elizabeth was pacing back and forth.

"I am committed to catching Lori Stevens and I can do it with or without your help Carter. Your help would be most helpful and speed up the process considerably but the FBI has a long reach and no one can escape us forever."

"Is that why you had no idea where I was or who Lori Stevens really is?"

Carter didn't wait for the FBI agent to respond and walked out of the office. As soon as she was near Elizabeth hurried over to her and took Carter's hands in hers.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine mom. I gave as good as you did I think."

Elizabeth chuckled and wrapped an arm around Carter's shoulders. Mother and daughter walked out of the police station but Elizabeth stopped them before they got into her car and Carter looked at her mother in confusion. Elizabeth looked a little nervous and took a deep breath.

"Carter, I can't begin to imagine what this past year has been like and what sort of toll it has taken on you. But there is a standard police protocol that all kidnapping victims have to follow and having a doctor look you over is one of them. I set up an appointment for you in an hour and-"

"I really don't want to go get poked and prodded mom. Like not at all."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak Carter cut her off with a raised hand.

"Will it put your mind at ease and will it help build a case against Lori?"

"Yes, yes it will."

"Then I'll do it but you're buying ice cream and toppings."

Carter really didn't want to go to the doctors office because she knew what the doctor would find and some of the demons that plagued her sleep last night would be brought to life.

"I can live with that."

Despite Elizabeth's warm, thankful smile Carter wondered if Elizabeth really could live with some of the answers she was going to find.

* * *

The moment Elizabeth read over the test results and listened as the family doctor recapped his findings about Carter's past year Elizabeth wanted to break down and cry. Carter was mostly fine physically, but in order to keep Carter cooperative at times Lori had given Carter sedatives. Mostly painkillers but Elizabeth's suspicions when Carter kept rubbing the inside crease of her elbow yesterday were confirmed and Elizabeth's emotions were pulled in all directions.

"…she'll recover but I do recommend getting Carter into therapy and to see a psychologist as soon as possible. I'm no expert when it comes to the matter of the mind but I believe that is where Carter is suffering the most trauma. I think Lori put Carter under extreme mental and emotional duress and sometimes abuse."

"Thank you doctor."

Elizabeth tried to put on a brave face as Carter walked out of the examination room, finishing buttoning up her shirt but just knowing about how strong Carter must be to continue on everyday with a smile broke down any of Elizabeth's emotional pillars. The tears came out unbidden and she pulled Carter to her in a tight hug.

"What's wrong mom? I'm fine, the doctor gave me a clean bill of health."

"I know sweetie but I'm just so sorry. I'm so sorry I let her take you again and I was right there. I should have never let you take her away and now knowing what she did to you it's just…"

Elizabeth felt Carter's tears soak into her blouse and this just made her pull Carter in closer to her.

* * *

The moment that Elizabeth knew Carter was safe and preoccupied in her room she walked back down the stairs and into David's study. Both Carter and Elizabeth had shouted a quick hello to everyone in the house but hadn't really seen anyone and Elizabeth needed to talk out her feelings or she might explode. David looked up when he saw her and his expression changed to one of concern. Elizabeth knew that she must look like a basket case and she leaned heavily on her hands, which she placed flat against the top of her husband's desk.

"What is it? Did something go wrong at the station? Did the doctor find something wrong with Carter?"

"Huh."

Despite her overwhelming emotions, Elizabeth made a derisive sound and rolled her eyes at David's loaded question. She looked up to meet her husband's inquisitive gaze and willed her emotions down so she could speak.

"Carter is physically fine and was cleared by our family physician earlier today."

"I sense a but in here somewhere…"

"But Carter has an addiction to painkillers because Lori used them many times over the past year to keep Carter docile."

"You're kidding right?"

Elizabeth shook her head no and wiped at the tears that fell down her cheeks. Her personal feelings for Lori aside, just from a mother to mother stand point, no sane loving mother would drug their own child. Carter and Elizabeth might disagree half the times they spoke but Elizabeth would never physically harm or drug Carter to make her do what Elizabeth wanted her to.

"The doctor wouldn't give his professional opinion but he suspects that Lori mentally and emotionally abused Carter and he recommends that we get Carter to see a psychiatrist."

David laughed and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

"We both know how Carter feels about therapy. Did she shed any more light on her past year of being on the run?"

Elizabeth smiled at this question and smirked. David raised an eyebrow at Elizabeth's change in demeanor and Elizabeth sat down on the edge of her husband's desk.

"Well, the FBI sent us Special Agent Ames and he quickly informed me how it went against procedure for me to be on the task force to catch Lori Stevens and how I was removed from the case. I argued a different point of view of course but the FBI has a long reach."

"I'm waiting to hear how any of this is good news…"

"Agent Ames asked me to escort Carter into the captain's office so he could talk to her and I waited outside. Our little spitfire of a daughter took control of the meeting from the moment the door closed behind me and Carter refuses to speak to one Special Agent Ames."

David chuckled and Elizabeth chuckled as well. Both parents perked up as they heard soft footfalls coming down the stairs and Carter peeked her head into David's office. She smiled hesitantly but Elizabeth returned the smile and waved her in. Carter walked in, dressed in her sleepwear and played with the leather bracelet around her wrist.

"What is it Carter?"

"Well, um, I remember some things about this past year and I wanted to share them with both of you because they affect David…Dad the most."

Elizabeth stood up from the desk and felt 'cop mode' turn on. David leaned forward in his desk and looked at Carter. Carter looked down at the ground and continued to run her bracelet round and round her wrist.

"Lori had to get her money from somewhere while we were on the move and she would leave once every three days to meet someone. I know this because every three days I would spend half the day higher than a kite on whatever painkiller she would slip me. I…I tried to resist at first… I really did but she would change up when she would leave and how she would drug me."

Elizabeth struggled to remain objective as Carter haltingly told her memories but the mother in her wanted to comfort Carter the moment Carter wouldn't look up into their eyes. It was as if she was afraid to because she just admitted that she had a drug problem. Carter squeezed her eyes shut tight and her knuckles were white with the tenseness of her fists.

"In my moments of being in and out I heard Lori talking on the phone with her contact and at first I didn't get a name but it became apparent that her contact was someone close to this family. She kept asking about all of you and what was happening back here at home. Then one day right before I passed out from the painkillers Lori slipped up and mentioned Toby's name."

A heavy silence fell over David's study at Carter's words and Carter hesitantly looked up at her parents through her hair that had fallen in front of her face. Elizabeth looked at David and saw a small amount of shock but mostly anger on his face but Elizabeth was shocked. She had never liked Toby but the man was halfway decent at his job and did promote David's first book _Losing Lyndon_ quite well.

"That two-timing, back-stabbing son of a gun!"

David jumped out of his chair and threw his hands up in the air. Elizabeth weighed the potential outcomes and possibilities in her head but stopped after a moment and walked over to hug Carter. Carter came willingly and held her with that same white knuckled grip like before.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention baby. I know sharing these things can't be easy for you and I'll look into it as soon as I get into the station tomorrow."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth looked over at David and willed him to calm down with her eyes. He sighed but walked over and rested a hand on Carter's shoulder.

"Your mom is good at her job Carter and will find something to link Toby to all of this…mess. I don't have to meet up with him any time soon so when we're ready, we'll confront him together. I'm so proud of you Carter."

Elizabeth nudged Carter into David and she smiled as Carter's small frame was swallowed up by David's larger one. Carter leaned back and looked up at David.

"And I've decided that you can write about all this in your second book _Finding Carter_ but on two conditions."

"Carter, honey you don't have to…"

"No, it's okay. Really. The first condition is that you fire Toby and the second is that I get to proofread everything before it gets published."

David didn't respond and hugged Carter to him. Elizabeth caught his eye over from behind Carter and shrugged her shoulders. Even with her life being a mess at the moment, Carter still had the habit of surprising all of them.

* * *

Soft music filtered through the joining bathroom that Taylor shared with Carter and the second daughter to David and Elizabeth Wilson took a deep, steadying breath before she walked into her twin sister's room. As soon as Taylor took a step into Carter's room, Carter twirled about in her chair and had her arms raised in front of her. Taylor smiled a little awkwardly and held her hands up in the classic unarmed gesture. Carter smiled back but Taylor could discern the guilt in her sister's smile. To take some of the awkward tension out of the situation Taylor motioned to the jewelry that Carter was making.

"A skill you picked up over the last year?"

"Uh, yeah. It's not anything much but…"

Taylor smiled as Carter gestured to the jewelry and Taylor took a step closer to her sister's desk so she could get a closer look. While most of the designs were simple in nature, each bracelet had a different style and upon closer inspection Taylor saw that each piece of jewelry had a tag on it.

"Oh, yeah. I uh, am kind of making all of you a bracelet and well…I'm not finished with any of them yet."

"They're pretty and unique. Where's mine?"

"Somewhere underneath all of this mess…"

Taylor sat down on the edge of Carter's bed and noticed that her sister had scribbled what seemed like random words and phrases all over the blackboard wall behind her bed. Taylor wondered what they meant but just like two years ago when Carter had come into her life for the first time that she could remember, Taylor had to get to know this new-but-not-really Carter all over again.

"So about last night…"

"I'm sorry Taylor. I didn't mean to wake everybody up with my stupid nightmares. I'll be quiet tonight. I promise."

Taylor held up a hand to stop Carter's uncharacteristic rambling and smiled at her sister. Carter sucked in her bottom lip and her eyes were filled with apprehension.

"Carter you can't control your nightmares. I was just going to say that if you wake up and need someone to be there for you I'm right over there. You can come sleep with me in my bed if you want."

"Oh."

Taylor laughed as apparently her words hadn't been what Carter had been expecting and she smoothed out her skirt as she stood up. She pulled Carter out of her chair and hugged her.

"We're sisters Carter. We might be different and might fight at times but I'm here for you."

Carter nodded against Taylor's shoulder and Taylor squeezed her once more before letting go.

* * *

Carter jerked upright into a sitting position in her bed and felt like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. Her pajama top stuck to her because of her cold sweats and Carter whimpered as she held the side of her head. The nightmares seemed so real and this time Carter knew that she was dreaming but she couldn't wake up. Hoping that her nightmares hadn't woken up the entire house again, Carter tossed back her covers and walked into Taylor's bedroom. Taylor rolled over and held up her bed covers without a word.

"I heard you but you didn't seem quite so messed up tonight so I let it go. Come on."

Carter crawled into Taylor's bed and the sisters faced each other. Taylor rolled her eyes after a moment, squeezed Carter's side with her hand and closed her eyes. Carter watched her sister for a moment before following suit and she let herself be lulled back to sleep by Taylor's quiet breathing and the warmth all around her.

* * *

The next morning when Carter woke up she felt disoriented and exhausted still. The murky darkness of the room disoriented her for a bit and she knew that the bedcovers wrapped around her were not her own. Still, she felt safe and warm so she didn't jump out of bed right away.

"Glad to see that you're awake."

Carter turned to her sister's bedroom door and saw Elizabeth leaning against the doorframe. Carter rubbed some more sleep from her eyes and pushed her hair out of her face.

"I take it that I'm not going to school today either?"

"Well, no. You're not. You didn't even stir when Taylor woke up this morning and she told us that after midnight when you came in here, you didn't move. You were like a sleeping log, dead to the world."

Carter nodded and flopped back down in Taylor's bed. She heard Elizabeth chuckle and a moment later Taylor's bedroom door closed.

* * *

Later that day a much more awake Carter ambled down the stairs and into the kitchen. The house sat silent and Carter spun around to see if she could pick up any other presences in the house. When she didn't hear or see anything she began to panic and she ran over to the island. On the counter lay a note and Carter snatched it up with shaking hands.

_Carter,_

_I had to go run an errand and depending on when you wake up (again), I'll be back around 1pm. There's a fresh pot of coffee and a few scones in the bread basket. See you soon._

_-Elizabeth_

The note settled a few of Carter's nerves but this was the first time since she had returned home that Carter had been alone and old panics were starting to creep in. Carter ran around the house, locking doors and closing blinds before running back up the stairs to her room. Just as she was about to close her bedroom door Carter heard the front door of the house open and close.

"Carter? You awake?"

The sound of Elizabeth's voice warmed Carter and the icy fear spreading through her veins reversed course. Still, hope had been so elusive over the past year and Carter crept back down the stairs. She peeked around the corner and saw Elizabeth putting a few food items away in the fridge. Elizabeth turned around and waved at Carter.

"Hey there sleepy head. Feeling better now that you had a good night's sleep?"

"Yeah."

"That's good. I was working on some leads last night and was wondering if you were up to heading down to the station to help me figure a few more things out?"

Carter knew that Elizabeth really wanted to ask her some more questions but was being considerate and phrasing it in a different way. She also knew that Elizabeth worked best while at the station and besides here at the house, there wasn't a safer place to be.

"Um…okay. Just let me grab my bag."

A few moments later Carter sat next to her mother as they drove down to the station and Carter noticed a little vindictive smile tugging at Elizabeth's lips. In fact, the more Carter thought about it the stranger the afternoon had seemed. Elizabeth seemed to be a little more dramatic and taking her time in doing the simple things.

"You find something good last night in those leads?"

"Yeah I found something but it'll be explained more once we get to the station."

Carter rolled her eyes and watched the town pass by until they arrived at the station. Elizabeth helped her out of the car and motioned to the side of the police station.

"Hey why don't you go ahead and walk in the side entrance over there? The officer knows you're coming and will let you in when you press the buzzer. I'll be along in a few moments once I finish wrapping up another case with the people out here."

"Okay. Sure."

Following Elizabeth's request, Carter ambled over to the side entrance and into a little alley way by the police station. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she was halfway in the alley and Carter turned around on her heel. Lori stood there, hands by her side and a smile on her face.

"Hey baby. Ready to go?"

The sounds of the busy street slowly faded from Carter's hearing and she felt her heart hammering in her throat. Lori stood as Carter had remembered her and her trademark carefree smile was in place. A non-descript beige town car idled behind Lori and Carter surmised that was her escape plan.

"Carter? Come on, let's go."

"She's not going anywhere with you again."

Elizabeth's frosty tone cut through the fog hazing Carter's brain and she saw Lori draw a handgun from inside of her jacket in slow motion. Carter whipped her head around and saw Elizabeth standing five feet behind her, side arm drawn and pointed straight at Lori. When Carter turned back to face Lori, she saw that the other woman had mimicked Elizabeth's pose.

"Elizabeth. I wish I could say that it is a pleasure to see you again but I'd be lying. Back off and let me take my daughter back with me."

"Your daughter? You still living in that delusional, fantasy world of yours Lori? Carter, I need you to back up slowly to me. Can you do that for me sweetheart?"

"No Carter don't! Listen to me instead. There are so many secrets that I need to share with you. Come on baby, come with me and all will be made clear."

The moment felt surreal to Carter as she stood in between the two most powerful women in her life and was once again faced with the decision of what life she wanted to live. Both Elizabeth and Lori stood tall and with their shoulders squared back. They glared at each other and Carter knew that as soon as she moved one of them would shoot the other.

"No, both of you lower your guns. I don't want either one of you to get shot. Please."

Carter's plea worked and after a long, tense moment both women lowered their guns. The tension might have eased a little bit but Carter still kept herself in between Elizabeth and Lori. The moment was ruined however when police officers swarmed into the alley and Elizabeth's partner came up behind Lori with his gun raised.

"Drop it. Now."

The steel finality in his tone impressed Carter a little and she watched as Lori set her gun on the ground. As soon as she did, Elizabeth raised her gun and pointed it at Lori as her partner cuffed Lori. Carter didn't look up at Lori as she walked past and it wasn't until her vision blurred that she realized she was even crying. The tears came unbidden because even though she knew that Lori had kidnapped her twice, the memories and life she had been living for thirteen years couldn't just be swept under the rug.

"Thank you Carter."

Elizabeth didn't reach out and try to pull Carter into a hug but she stood in front of Carter and met her gaze.

"For what? I didn't even do anything."

"For choosing me. For choosing our family. For choosing this life."

And sometimes Elizabeth Wilson got it right in one. Carter closed the distance between them and hugged her mother. Elizabeth let out a suspicious sound halfway between a sob and a chuckle and hugged Carter back. After a moment she let go and wrapped an arm around Carter's shoulders. Mother and daughter walked out of the alley and Elizabeth led Carter into the precinct.

"I'm going to go in and place Lori under arrest. Do you feel comfortable watching from the other side of the glass?"

"You want me to…? Why would I…?"

Elizabeth stopped in the middle of the precinct and held onto Carter's shoulders in her strong grip like she had done before. Just like she had done when Carter had freaked out when she had to talk to the FBI agent, Elizabeth willed Carter some of her indomitable inner strength through her eyes. Carter breathed in and out slowly and felt her world settle again.

"There we go. There are some things that I'm going to go over with Lori, some things I'm going to tell her and of course I'm going to interrogate her. I think that you need some closure on this and even though it might be painful, I think that it will help you heal."

"Okay."

Elizabeth nodded and led Carter to the one-way mirror outside of the interrogation room where Lori sat. In a completely unnerving move, Lori looked over at the mirror and right into Carter's eyes. Carter sucked in a huge breath and tensed up but Elizabeth squeezed her in a sideways hug.

"She can't see you Carter. She has no more power remember?"

"Right."

Elizabeth walked into the interrogation room with her partner and Carter could feel the tension escalate from where she stood outside of the room. Elizabeth dropped the thick files down on the table with a resounding 'plop' and sits down in the chair across from Lori. Carter can see Elizabeth's mouth move as she spoke but the image of the two most powerful women in her life so close together drew Carter's attention away from Lori's interrogation. The moment disappeared though when Carter felt a hand on her shoulder and she jerked out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw Elizabeth smiling at her hesitantly.

"You okay? You looked deep in thought there."

"Yeah it was just a little surreal seeing the two of you together like that."

"Hopefully you won't have to see us together like that again for a little while. Come on, while you were zoned out I finished asking Lori my questions and the FBI is stepping in now."

Just as Elizabeth led Carter away, a crash and Lori's outraged cry sounded in the interrogation room. Carter turned around and saw a tear-stricken Lori looking out the interrogation window. The chair next to her had been knocked aside and Lori looked distressed.

"Carter!"

The genuine anguish in Lori's tone made Carter pause and she gave one last look at the woman who had raised her for thirteen years. No warmth or connection came from looking at Lori and Carter shook her head.

"Goodbye."

As if Lori heard Carter, the older woman slumped down in her chair and dropped her face into her hands. Carter turned around and walked away with Elizabeth at her side. As soon as they stepped outside of the precinct the sunlight warmed Carter's face. She stopped walking, closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the sun.

"Ready Carter?"

At Elizabeth's question, Carter opened her eyes and smiled at her mother. She took Elizabeth's hand in hers and smiled.

"Yeah, I think I am."

* * *

**A/N 2: Shout out to cagiant246 for their creative plot twist regarding Toby working with Lori. I took it and adapted it a little.**


End file.
